My Team & I: Tottenham Hotspur
By Jack McInroy II
Twitter: @Yids
www.youllwinnothingwithyids.com
Why Tottenham?
I remember having the 1989-90 First Division Panini sticker album. I was six and all my friends made getting Tottenham players a priority, so I followed suit. Most of them ended up supporting Millwall, the closest league team, by the time they were old enough to go to games. I stuck with Spurs, whilst regularly attending games at non-league Dulwich Hamlet. It’s probably the worst decision I’ve made in my life to date.
Favourite Player?
David Ginola won the PFA and Writers’ player of the season awards the year I started going to the Lane. He was fantastic and is a close second, but it has to be Jurgen Klinsmann. Its still shocking to think we signed one of the best strikers in the world, even if it was only for a season. He came close to tarnishing his legacy with a second spell at the club, but four goals against Wimbledon only cemented his place as a Spurs legend.
Of the current crop Ledley King is close to my heart – a superb footballer whose career has been cruelly limited by injury – and Gareth Bale, the most exciting winger in the league at the moment and a player I never stopped believing in.
Favourite Game?
The first time I went to White Hart Lane was for the FA Cup replay against Leeds in 1999. Darren Anderton and David Ginola both scored breath-taking goals.That’s pretty hard to beat.
There’s a triple-header of 2-1 wins over Chelsea, our bogey team in the truest sense of the word, that spring to mind. Aaron Lennon’s winner in 2006 ended a 16-year run winless run against them, last season’s victory was probably the best I’ve ever seen Spurs play, but the best was the 2008 League Cup final. It was our first and only trophy of the decade and having beaten the second best team in the country nobody could call it Mickey Mouse.
Favourite Strip?
I’m not a fan of modern kits. I like them plain, without a shirt sponsor or manufacturer logo. The 1966-77 home and away shirts are perfect – pure white/navy, round neck, with a simple and elegenant crest.
Worst Thing About Supporting Tottenham?
Years of mediocrity. From the formation of the Premier League up to 2005 we finished between seventh and fourteenth every year. We were the definition of midtable.
Funniest Moment?
The food-poisoning incident at the denoument of 2005-6 was heart-breaking and I don’t look back on the season fondly, but one moment that always makes me smile is Martin Jol on the touchline at Highbury screaming ‘PLAY!’ while Arsenal have two injured players on the deck. (Please Take A Look Below)
Favourite Moment?
I was at a game once and during the half-time break they were asking some youngsters about their favourite moment as a Spurs fan was and one said, “Arsenal losing to Barcelona in the Champions League final”, which sums up the Tottenham Hotspur experience.
I was only 8 when we won the FA Cup in 1991, so I’ll go with last season’s win over Arsenal. Our first North London derby league win in over a decade and it put us back on track for Champions League qualification.
Posted on September 29th, 2010 by scott
Filed under: My Team & I
I was at the NLD where MJ was shouting “PLAY”, it was the last NLD at Highbury before the arse moved to the emptyrates. The two arsenal players had tried to sandwich Carrick and he skipped over them leaving them to collide and roll around in “agony”, they soon jump up when they realise Spurs aren’t going to put the ball out of play. Ols Arsene was livid with MJ and squared up to him, MJ just laughed in his face. The sweetest goal I’ve seen for a long time.